Hand gun cylinder control and trigger mechanism



Dec. 25, 1951 J. H. GARTNER HAND GUN CYLINDER CONTROL AND TRIGGER MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1948 mmvrox. JOHN H. Gnrenvsn? I 21 w n-M 9 TTOIQ/VE YS Dec. 25, 1951 J. H. GARTNER ,7

HAND GUN CYLINDER CONTROL AND TRiGGER MECHANISM Filed June 21, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fig. E.

IN V EN TOR. OHN H GflRTNR HTTORNE VI,

De .'25, 1951 J. H. GARTNER HAND GUN CYLINDER CONTROLv AND TRIQGER MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 21, 1948 INVENTOR.

A Jbmv H- Gnkr vse Patented Dec. 25, 1951 HAND GUN CYLINDER eoNTRoeANn- TBIGGER'MECHANISM:

John H. Gartner, San Francisco, Calif assigpolj to Samuel I; Keene, San Francisco, Calif? ApplicatiOnJuneZl, 1948, Serial'No. 34,189

16 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hand guns and has for one of its objects the provision of improved means for controlling the cylinder of a revolver so that a loaded chamber in the cylinder will be held in alignment with the barrel upon a retraction of the hammer or the like immediately following an uncocking of the hammer and its release.

Heretofore in revolvers, the cylinder is revolvedto alignone or its cartridgeholding chambers with the barrel immediately prior to bringing the hammer to a full cock, whether the hammer is retracted by the thumb or whether it is retracted by pressure on the trigger, as in double action firing, 1

If the hammer is cooked and then is released or is let down by the thumb, the next retraction oi the trigger or cocking of the hammer will cause the cylinder to revolve so as to bring. the next chamber into alignment with the barrel.

Ihe above action is desirable where the hand gun is fired after each retraction of the hammer or trigger, but it is obvious that the not infrequent occurrence of firing say four shots (assuming thecylinder is loaded with five cartridges only) will leave the. user with a cocked ham-. mer over the final loaded cylinder which may not require firing at the moment, due, for ex-.. ample, to the surrender of the law breaker or suspect or to feigned incapacitation or to actual temporary incapacitation. Under such circumstances, the. person usingthe hand gun is faced "with thechoice of letting down the hammer of the. gun for safety reasons or in retaining it cocked with the chance of injuring himself or innocent bystanders. If the hammer is let down, it will require five complete firing operations or retractions of the trigger before the only loaded chamber is brought into alignment with the barrel again.

With the present invention, the person using the revolver is enabled to let the hammer down and to release the trigger without causing, the cylinder to be rotated upon the next retraction of the trigger or hammer or both,

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved and relatively simple means for effecting the release of the cooked hammer in a hand gun upon a release of the finger retracted trigger, including means associated with the trigger and positioned for actuation by the trigger actuating finger when the latter is in a position holding the trigger retracted for preventing the e resulted. beigefiring t e .1 .nd. senf ipon h leas i he gun of the typeQin which the-1 hammer is releasedv 5 irms IPOQ le sed; 1 gg o a etr cted; pos t Anadd d; 1 1.. i: o the t n i is h r .5.191 f WQ FE ==l FQQ: it h m ional tr g e and firin meehanism a. and sun for s -ivert arv su h. me hanism ni bne i which. e. hammer sheld n sed o ion by. the tri ger fin er-w e e ter sr-etr qted an is quickly and easil release of: thezpr ssurer ofihe trig er, fin er on the trigger.

In using. hand. guns, such as; revolvers and pistols accurate. shooting is; usually. considerably more difilcult than using a rifle. Where. no rest is employed, one. handv fully supports the weight of the. hand; gun WhileJthe. trigger finger of suchhand retracts thextrigger. Usually years of at least weekly. practice of relatively long duration is required to attain: recognized proficie'ncy, and even then many persons will still be mediocre marksm'e'n.

Practice sessions, in orderto reach proficiency in shooting, are mainly devoted to the so-called trigger squeeze in which the trigger is supposed l lqw i'. e reat d el ii iin f m ents. hen e. efi 'ar qer t 'v eli nee h he be ts-ey hg ar e I he r g r s su denly yanked or pulled' as the f rqntsight wayers i -eye, hehqnego hitting the' t er. e, sigh s. .Q

eero sth bu l osib m ed k se the target v I heeded be r h cartridgeisfired. Thisois 'particularly true Where the approved pressure of' from three to four pounds is required on the. trigger in order to re ea ihe pc edihemmr a s trig r ex r me dan er us... nd ar no erm t e in a i nal matche and: a r s r n e In view of the difficulty, ti

ac ra wi hand guns can be acq the averageer- 91 rela rely. ew et ecome expe t With hand guns. The lives of police oflicers-, soldiers and. QfQ .W .l9 l@1; sa ety a any i me dee nd. 171E911," he r-abili mu ean uns wi re finnable-aq ux q are m nr time re ated.

in jeopardy before, th a years have passed in whiehthedesit d v. sesz uiredb 0 s t nalms g eased: to ir ng; u o a.

ansi enset at;

By the present invention adequate proficiency can usually be acquired Within a small fraction of the time heretofore required, and in many instances high proficiency has ben acquired where heretofore even average proficiency has been deemed unattainable.

The reason for the above is that provision is made for releasing the cocked hammer upon a relatively small release of the trigger when the latter is held in fully retracted position. Inasmuch as there is no sudden tensing of the muscles during a releasing action of the trigger finger, the hand gun will not be pulled off the target, and inasmuch as the hammer is released almost instantly upon a release of the trigger, there is no sustained period of tension. The shooter is enabled to fire the piece instantly when he knows the sights are properly aligned instead of following the usual heretofore recommended practice of not knowing when the firing will occur.

The provision of safety means whereby the user of the gun may quickly let the hammer down in safety if, after a retraction of the trigger, it is decided not to fire the gun, may be accomplished in various ways. In the present instance the safety feature is under the control of the trigger finger. A slight upward pressure of the trigger finger against the trigger when the latter is retracted and the hammer will be safely lowered without requiring the use of the thumb on the hammer. Thus the invention may be embodied in revolvers of the hammerless type.

Other objects and advantages will be seen from the drawings and specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a revolver with the cover plate over the near side of the trigger and firing mechanism removed to show the said mechanism. The barrel is cut off to accommodate the view to the sheet and the said mechanism is shown in the normal inoperative position with the hammer down and the trigger forward.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the portion of the revolver of Fig. 1 in which the trigger and firing mechanism is held, the trigger and hammer being retracted. The cylinder turning hand is omitted from this view.

Fig.3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 showing the trigger and firing mechanism immediately after the hammer has been released. The trigger is slightly forward relative to the position of the trigger in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 except that the cylinder turnin hand is shown in position and the safety device on the trigger is moved up to guide the said hand out of engagement with the cylinder upon the next retraction of the trigger.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but with the trigger forward and the hammer down following actuation of the safety device on the trigger so that a retraction of the trigger will not rotate the cylinder.

Fig. 6 is a view of the hammer cover, in section, removed from the revolver.

Fig. 7 is a rear elevational view of the hammer cover of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the elements in the trigger mechanism for causing the cylinder rotating hand to be inoperative in one of the movements of the trigger.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a detent element for releasably holding the element of Fig. 8 in one position or the other during certain movements.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a locking element for preventing actuation of the safety device until the trigger is fully retracted.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the safety elements that is carried by the trigger.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the trigger.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the elements connected with the trigger.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational View showing the relationship between certain parts of the trigger mechanism when the trigger and hammer are retracted.

Fig. 15 is a view similar to that of Fig. 14 showing the position of certain parts after the safety device on the trigger has been actuated.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary side elevational view of some of the trigger and firing elements in a position with the trigger and hammer retracted and ready for firing upon a release of the trigger.

Fig. 17 is a View similarto that of Fig. 16 but after firing when the trigger and hammer are forward.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary part sectional view showing the cylinder turning hand and the guide for said hand.

Fig. 19 is a view similar to that of Fig. 18 but with the trigger retracted.

Fig. 20 is a view similar to that of Fig. 19 showing the safety device actuated for moving the cylinder turning hand out of engagement with the cylinder.

Fig. 21 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2 I -2l of Fig. 14.

Fig. 22 is an enlarged part sectional, part elevational, fragmentary view showing the means for yieldably holding the cylinder turning finger forward.

The invention disclosed in the drawings is applied to a standard Colt revolver, many of the elements being identical with those used in said revolver and others being modified.

For example, the hammer in the present instance has been cut down and enclosed, making a so-called hammerless revolver, although this feature is not in any way essential to the functioning of the invention.

The sear on the hammer, the spring for driving the hammer to fire the cartridge and to return the trigger, and other elements are identical with those in the standard Colt revolver.

In the detailed description, the terms for-" ward, front, forwardly, rear, rearwardly, etc. which might be used in describing the invention are used with respect to the muzzle or barrel end of the hand gun, which is the forward end, while the butt or stock is at the rear end.

The revolver illustrated in the drawings comprises a frame, generally designated I, and which frame includes a side piece 2 that is integral therewith at one side of the hammer and part of the trigger mechanism. The stock portion 3, except for removable side pieces providing the hand grip, is also integral with the frame, and while the barrel is removable, it is rigid with the frame.

The frame I is cut out adjacent the barrel for the cylinder 4 that is chambered for the cartridges and which cylinder is rotatable about an axis parallel with that of the barrel in the usual manner. Axially projecting ratchet teeth 5 are around the axis of said cylinder at its rear end.

The trigger guard 6 is integral with the frame,

acvavee and the portion of the frame between the cylin der and the opening of guard 6 into which the trigger extends carries a pivot I about which the trigger 8 is pivoted.

Fig. 12 shows the main trigger detached from the revolver. The trigger 8 is recessed along its forward side and the opposed sides of said recess are formed with forwardly projecting ears 9 through which pivot 1 extends.

The forwardly openin recess in the trigger extends downwardly into the lower finger engaging portion of the trigger and said sides of said recess are formed with upwardly facing corresponding shoulder ll] below ears 9 and above the finger engaging portion of said trigger.

The uppermost end of the trigger terminates in a nose l3 having an upwardly facing surface that is the upper end of the bottom of the forwardly opening recess. This nose I3 is adapted 'to engage the sear on the hammer for cocking the hammer upon retraction of the trigger.

The sear is indicated at It (Figs. '1, 17), said sear being pivotally connected at IE to the hammer 16 at the forward side of the hammer. A spring I? yieldably urges the lower end of the sear away from the hammer to the full extent of the swing of the sear in a forward direction. The lower end of the sear is swingable rearwardly against the tension 'of the spring. The above structure is ccnventional'in a Colt revolver.

Pivotally secured at l8 to the trigger 8 at a point at about the same level as the shoulders l0 is the forward end of an auxiliary locking lever !9. This lever 19 is adapted to slide at its rearwardly extending free endon the lower flange 2B of frame I. The auxiliary locking lever 19 is shown in Fig. 13 separatefrom the revolver, and in Fig. 1 it is'shown at the start of a cooking action, in which it will be moved rearwardly during the cooking action and at the same time it is moved rearwardly (due to retraction of the trigger), the forward end will'move sharply upwardly.

In Fig. 12, the openings '23 in the-trigger are for the pivot l8 that connects the forward end of the auxiliary locking lever l9 to the trigger.

The upper side of 'the lever I9 is formed with an upwardly and rearwardly slanted surface 24 and a flat upper surface 25 extends rearwardly from the lower endof surface -2li'to the freeend of the lever. The forward roundeclend-"ZS of a locking lever 2'? is adapted to'be supported on said flat surface 25 (Figs. 16, 17). The rearward end of said lockinglever 2! is pivoted at 28 to the frame of therevolver.

Upon retraction of the trigger 8,-the-auxiliary locking lever 59 will he slid rearwardly on flange of the frame 1. The forward-rounded end of the locking lever isslidable OnsurfaceZ-S during said rearward movement of the leverf9. When said lever 19 is retracted to the point'where the upwardlyinclined surfaced-i extends upwardly from surface 25, the said'rounded end will quickly slide upwardly over said surface and-this upward movementis augmented or accelerated by the bodily upward swing of theforward end of said lever I9.

In Figs. 1, 17 it is seen that the nose I3 of the trigger will engage the lower end of sear iiwhen thetrigger is retracted and-continued retraction of the trigger-will cause'the hammer to be cocked or toswing about pivot 3 I- that secures the hammer to frame I for swinging thereabout.

Fig. 16 shows the trigger fully retractecbandlin from the sear 14 so that the hammer is solely held by the locking lever 21. However, as soon as the pressure on the trigger is released so' it can move forwardly, it will be seen that the forward roundedend 26 of thelocking'lever 21 will quickly descend on inclined surface '24 and its.

descent will :be hastened by the bodily down-- ward movement of the forward end of lever [B and the hammer will be released for falling under the tension of spring 33. The hammer pivot is at s I.

This spring 33 (Fig. 1) serves the double function-of moving the "trigger-forwardly and of driving the hammer during its firing stroke. The return of the trigger from retracted position is effected by an arm 3d '(Fig. 1) that is pivoted at 3% at its rear end to the portion-of frame 4 that extends into the stock of the revolver. The forward end of said arm is slanted at -36 to engage thegenerally upwardly facingside of a-pivot 3 F OE- igs. l, 1 2) that isrigidwith the trigger 8- at a pcint below the nose '13 andrelatively close to the "latter. Arm .34 is broken away in "Figs. to 5 in order to expose the other parts.

Spring 33 is'a leaf springof-generally U-shape with its apex secured in a recess in frame I at a-point just abovepivot 35. One-arm'38-of-the spring engages the upper side of the arm 34 while the-other arm '39 of thespring engagesthe underside of a 'horizontal'projection 40 that is rigid withthe hammer l6 and that is rearWa-rdly of 'the hammerpivottl. The spring arms, being under tension-and tending to spread apart will yieldably 'hold the hammer downand the I trigger forward at alltimes. This spring-and its action are :not new, but appear on the standard Colt revolver.

'The opposed sides-of the partof the-forwardly opening recess in trigger=8 extend downwardly into the 'finger engaging portion of the trigger and a: 'pivot '43 is carried by the-sides in ,saidiportion. This pivot 43 carries the main control element generally designated 44 (Fig. 11) that is adapted to be manipulated by the trigger finger of the operator for safely lowering the hammer and for preventing'rotation of the-cylinder upon a retraction of the trigger after-a= safe lowering of the hammer.

The element-4 has a curved downward extension 45 that follows thecontour of'the fingerengaging F portion of the trigger, and pivot 43 pivotally =:secures said projection to the trigger.

Above the pivot .43 v and adapted'to'lie above the trigger finger ofanoperator when such finger is i'- in r trigger retracting position is l a forwardly extending projection J6. This projection isrelatively thickinr-verti'cal and horizontal I dimensions. its horizontal thickness being greater than that of the remainderof the element so that portionsi il project oppositely laterally outward-1y relative to the said remainder.- as seen. in Fig.111, providing 1 rearwardly facing shoulders :at copposite:zsides ofclthe extensions .aboutswhere-lthe v latter. joinsssaid forwardmrojections.

The said rearwardly facing shoulders at the juncture between the projection 45 and the downward extension 45 of element 44 are of a form providing rearward opening notches 48, one at each side of the element 44, the upper side of each notch being a rearwardly directed wedge shaped portion 49 (Figs. 1, 11)

Centrally of the width of the forward projection 46 of element 44, the said projection is recessed on its upper side at 55 as seen in Fig. 11, which recess opens upwardly and has a flat generally horizontally extending bottom side 53 (Figs. 1, 18) extending into the projection in direction toward its forward end, the forward end of this bottom side being formed with a generally rectangular depression or recess 54. The rear side 56 of recess 54 is inclined forwardly from its lower end (Figs. 18 to 20) for a purpose to be described, while the opposite forward side may be square with the bottom or practically so.

Extending upwardly and rearwardly of the element 46 from the rear side of the latter is an arm 51 that is convexly rounded at its outer end at its forwardly facing side as at 58 (Figs. 11, 18) while the rearwardly facing side may be flat, except for a recess 59 that is merely formed in the arm to permit the arm to move to a position in which the pivot 37 extends into the open side of said recess.

Upon retracting the trigger, the outer end of said arm 51 will move upwardly from the position indicated in Fig. 18 to the position indicated in Fig. 19 in which the said outer end will move to a position in a downwardly opening cleft of a member 60 (Figs. 8, 19).

In most revolvers there is a hand or pawl that is pivotally and reciprocably mounted for successively engaging the ratchet teeth of the cylinder 4.

In the present instance this pawl is indicated at 53 (Figs. 1, 4, 5) and extends generally vertically with its lower end pivoted on the pivot 31 that is rigid with the trigger. The upper end of this pawl has a tooth 64 that is adapted to engage the teeth 5 on the rear end of cylinder 4 in succession upon repeated retractions of the trigger. A spring 65 in the cover plate 65 of the near side of the frame as seen in the drawings (Fig. 22) is adapted to urge a follower 5! against the rear edge of the pawl 53 for yieldably holding the same against a flange 68 on frame I that extends vertically partially along the rear side of the cylinder (Figs. 1, 14).

As the trigger is retracted the pawl slides upwardly and the tooth 64 engages one of the teeth 5 of the cylinder, rotating the same until the cartridge in the next chamber is aligned with the barrel. Thi alignment occurs before the hammer is released, so that the bullet will be properly ejected from the chamber into the barrel when the cartridge is fired. When the trigger is released to move forwardly, the pawl 63 will descend and upon the next retraction of ,the trigger the cylinder will again be rotated.

The member 66 is formed with a pivot 59 for pivoting said member on the frame of the revolver (Figs. 8, 14). Said member 69 also is formed with a rearward projection that in turn has a laterally opening generally U-shaped recess 13 in the near side as seen in Figs. 14, 21.

A fiat spring 14 (Fig. 21) lies between the cover plate 66 and the frame I and has a-pin 15 on one end that fits in a corresponding recess in frame I, while the opposite end has a detent 15 that is adapted to. either. lie in the recess 13 orto lie against the slanted surface 11 (Fig. 21) adjacent said recess according to the way the member 50 is swung on its pivot. This detent 16 functions merely to hold the member 60 in one of its two positions until it is swung forcibly to the other position.

For example, upon retraction of the trigger 8, the cylinder will be rotated by the pawl 63, but should the user decide not to fire the piece but to let down the hammer gently without firing, he will merely exert a slight upward pressure of the trigger finger against the projection 46 and the arm 51 will be swungrearwardly at its outer end. As said arm is in the cleft of the member 60 when this occurs, as seen in Fig. 19, the rearward swing will cause the cleft to swing rearwardly to the position seen in Fig. 20.

Member 50 has a lateral projection it"; that normally lies in upward extension of flange 68 on which pawl 63 is slidable, and when the member 65 is swung rearwardly by arm 51 as above explained, the said projection IE will move rearwardly of flange 58 a sufficient distance to prevent the tooth 54 on the paw1 from engaging the teeth 5 on the next upward movement of the pawl. Detent i6 will move into recess 73 when said member 55 is swung rearwardly so as to hold the projection 18 in a position to guide the pawl 53 away from the teeth 5 (Figs. 2, 15)

However, upon the second retraction of the trigger, the convex rounded end of the arm 51 will engage the forward side of the cleft on the member 55 and will swing the projection 78 forward sothat detent it will again rest on the surface ll of the projection ill and will hold the projection 18 forward in line with flange 58 until and unless the projection 46 on the control element 44 is again moved by the trigger finger.

This control element 44 also functions to enable the operator to let the hammer down by the trigger finger without firing the revolver.

This release is effected by the arm 5i. In Fig. 15 it will be seen that arm 51" has been swung rearwardly to a position swinging the member 55 so that projection '18 will guide the pawl away from the ratchet teeth 5 when the trigger is again retracted after being released by letting down the hammer. The outer end of the arm 57 in Fig. 15 now lies under a forwardly projecting nose is at the lower side of the hammer and forwardly of the hammer pivot.

A release of the trigger from the position seen,

in Fig. 15 will permit the nose E3 on the trigger to pass between the sear and the nose 19 on the hammer. Thus, while the load of the hammer will be taken by arm 5'! to gently lower the hammer as the trigger is released, the trigger nose l3 will be in a position to also prevent falling of the hammer to fire the cartridge, thereby providing a double safety feature for the hammer cannot freely fall if the nose !3 is below the sear.

In order that the hammer cannot be accidentally released by any inadvertent movement of the forward projection 45 until the trigger is fully retracted, a locking element BI] is provided (Fig. 10), which element is pivotally secured to the {game I of the revolver by trigger pivot I (Fig.

This element 30 is between the ears 9 of the trigger and has a spring 83 projecting from one side of said element in frictional engagement with one of said ears so that the element will be frictionally held in any position it may be moved with respect to the ears 9.

The element 85 .is flattened and has an upper aver 8a straight edge 84 that extends rearwardly relative to pivot i. This edge is adapted to engage a horizontal flange 85 on frame 1 below cylinder d when the trigger is retracted to limit the swinging of the element 88 on pivot 1 although the trigger may continue its rearward movement about said pivot (Fig. 19)

The lower edge of the locking member has a downwardly projecting lug 86 therein that is adapted to enter the recess 54 in the forward projection d6 of the control element 44 when said trigger is fully retracted and the lug 86 is in register with said recess. However, unless the trigger is fully retracted the lug cannot enter said recess and consequently the projection 45 cannot be swung upwardly by the trigger finger.

The rear side of lug 86 is inclined to correspond with the inclined rear side 56 of recess d, hence as the trigger moves forwardly the lower end of the locking member will move forwardly with it to the position seen in Fig. 18 when the lug will move out of recess 54.

In operation, the user of the revolver fully retracts the trigger, thus moving the hammer to cooked position in which it is held by the pressure of the trigger finger on the trigger. Aim is taken and the instant the sights are aligned on the target, a slight release of the trigger will result in releasing the hammer and in firing the piece.

If the user does not wish to fire the piece after having retracted the trigger, a slight upward movement of the trigger finger will result in enabling the hammer to be let down with the forward movement of the trigger, and at the same time the projection 18 will be moved out of its normal position to prevent rotation of the cylinder during the next retraction of the trigger.

It is obvious that this means for preventing the rotation of the cylinder is applicable to a mechanism in which the hammer is released by a re- 4:

traction of the trigger as well as one in which the hammer is released by release of the trigger. In the present instance the mechanism has been cooperatively associated with the means for releasing the hammer by a release of the trigger.

As has been noted, in the present case the hammer is released upon very slight forward movement of the trigger, thus virtually giving the shooter all of the advantages of a hair trigger and with perfect safety. Inasmuch as the hammer cannot be released until there has been a full retraction of the trigger, accidental discharge is prevented except under such abnormal circumstances as are practically non-existent. The pull in pounds required to. fire the revolver is the same as in the standard firearm and meets all of the requirements for shooting in the national matches.

It is also to be noted that with the arrangement shown in which the element 46 is prevented from upward movement until the trigger is fully retracted, there can be no accidental actuation of the member 50 that would prevent a rotation of the cylinder on the next retraction ,of the trigger. It is highly important that the cylinder be turned after each shot is fired, but it should not be turned when a loaded unfired chamber in the cylinder is in alignment with the barrel.

In Figs. 1 to 7, a cover 90 is shown over the hammer. Obviously the hammer could b exposed if desired, and formed in the conventional manner for thumb engagement, but inasmuch as the trigger mechanism in'the present instance is arranged so that the trigger finger may be used to ently let down the hammer from cocked posi- 10 tion, and as the pressure of the trigger finger on the trigger holds the hammer against release thereof, there is no particular advantage to be gained by exposing the hammer.

The cover 90 is provided at one end with a projection 9| that. releasably fits in the usual opening in the frame I in which the upper end of the hammer operates while a screw (not shown) in frame I extends into a side recess 92 in a projection 93 at the other end of the cover thereby re-. taining the cover in place.

Upon retraction of the trigger from the normal uncocked condition of the revolver, the nose B on the upper end of the trigger will cause a retraction of the hammer by reason of said nose being in engagement with the sear I4, and at the same time, the upper toothed end of pawl 63v will engage one of the ratchet teeth 5 on the cylinder to cause rotation of said cylinder until the next chamber in said cylinder is in alignment with the barrel.

The retraction of the trigger also causes the lever l9 to be moved rearwardly on flange 20 of frame I and as soon as the heel 30 of the hammer' has moved, during its retraction, to a position slightly forwardly of the inclined surface or shoulder 2| of lever IS, the forward rounded end of lever 21 will engage said shoulder 2| and will move upwardly behind the heel 30 of the hammer. Substantially simultaneously with this movement of the forward end of lever 21, the nose [3 on the upper end of the trigger will be come disengaged fromthe sear l4, and the hammer will be heldretracted or cocked by the ole.-

vated forward end of lever 21.

In order to fire the revolver, when it is in the above position, the trigger is released so it will move forwardly and when this occurs the lever 19 being connected with the trigger will also move forwardly and the elevated forward end of lever 21 will bereleased to slide down the inclined shoulder 24 on lever l9 and away from the heel 30 of the hammer, thereby releasing the hammer for firing the cartridge. After such firing the revolver will again be in exactly the same position itwas at the start, and the cycle will be re peated upon retraction and release of the trigger in the manner abovedescribed.

Should the user have fully retracted the trigger to the point where a release of the same would result in a release of the hammer, and he then decide not to fire the revolver, said user merely moves the trigger finger upwardly against the projection 46 of element 44, said projection being immediately above the trigger finger.

The upward pressure of the trigger finger on said projection will cause the entire element M to swing on pivot 43. The projection 46 extends generally forwardly of said pivot while an arm 5'! extends generally upwardly therefrom. Hence, upward swinging of. the upwardly extending arm 51, and when said arm 51 swings rearwardly, its upper end will move below a forward projection 19; on the lower forwardpart of the hammer to thereby hold the hammer from falling when the trigger is released. At. the same time, the upper end of arm 51 will swing a member 60 rearwardly to cause a projection 78, to engage the pawl 63 and to swing the upper toothed end of said pawl a sufficient distance away from the teeth 5 on the cylinder 4 to prevent its engagement with said et when the r g r is ret c ed after it elease. This member 60, when swung by a detent 16 that en ages the same until it is forced back to its first position.

The forward movement of the trigger will result in the hammer being carried down to its forward position by the arm 51 that is in engagement with the projection 79 on the hammer. As the trigger moves forwardly the nose l3 of the same will move back to its position below sear l4 so that the hammer would be prevented from firing the cartridge in the cylinder even if the arm 51 should slip .from the projection 19 during the forward movement of the firing pin that is on the hammer.

When the trigger is fully released and the ham mer is down, the projection 18 on member 60 is still in a position to prevent the upper toothed end of pawl 63 from engaging the tooth 5 on cylinder 4 that would cause rotation of the cylinder, and upon the initial retraction of the trigger, the upper end of the pawl will not engage said tooth 5, but will move past the tooth, and then the upper end of arm 51 will move upwardly into the downwardly opening cleft in member 60 and as the said arm 5'! cannot swing rearwardly on its pivot 43 until the trigger is fully retracted, the said upper end of the same will force the member 60 back to its normal position where projection 18 will not act to prevent the engagement between the upper end of the pawl 63 and the tooth 5 on the cylinder when the trigger is released for another firing of the revolver, provided, of course, the revolver is fired. No matter how many times the trigger is retracted, the cylinder will not be revolved upon each successive retraction unless the revolver is fired. If the hammer is let down by reason of upward movement of the projection 46 by the trigger finger, the next retraction of the trigger will not revolve the cylinder.

As already mentioned, the projection 46 and arm 5! cannot be swung on pivot 43 until the trigger is fully retracted, since the lug 86 on the element 80 must be in register with the recess 54 in the element 44 before the latter, which has projection 46 thereon, can be swung on pivot 43.

I claim:

1. In a revolver including a retractable trigger,

a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating.

member connected with said trigger for actuation thereby and movable into engagement with said cylinder for rotating said cylinder at each retraction of the trigger, means supporting saidmember for movement relative to said trigger to a position out of engagement with said cylinder, an element carried by said revolver and supported for movement to a position in engagement with said member for holding said member out of engagement with said cylinder during said retraction of said element.

2. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for actuation thereby and movable into engagement with said cylinder for rotating said cylinder at each retraction of the trigger, manually actuatable means connected with said trigger for movement therewith during its retraction and supported on said trigger for movement independently of the retractive movement of said trigger, means supported for movement to a position holding said member out of said cylinder engaging position, said last mentioned means being movable to said position by said manually actuatable means upon actuation of said manually actuatable means after retraction of said trigger.

3. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for actuation thereby and movable into engagement with traction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder,

said cylinder for rotating said cylinder at each retraction of the trigger, and means on said revolver accessible to the trigger finger of the hand when the latter is in a position holding the trigger in retracted position for moving said member out of cylinder actuating position during release of said trigger and the next immediate retraction thereof.

4. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for actuation thereby and movable into engagement with said cylinder for rotating said cylinder at each retraction of the trigger, and means supported on said trigger for movement relative thereto into engagement with said member for moving said member out of cylinder actuating position, said means being positioned adjacent the upper part of the finger engaging portion of said trigger for actuation thereby upon slight upward movement of such finger.

5. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member actuatable for movement upon each retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder, a spring loaded hammer and a sear engageable by said trigger for cocking said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, means for holding said hammer cocked upon such retraction, releasable upon release of said trigger whereby said hammer will be released for free falling and for firing of the revolver only upon release of said trigger, and manually actuatable movable means movable to a position obstructing the free falling of said hammer upon said release of said trigger, and means for rendering said cylinder rotating member inoperative during retraction of said trigger immediately succeeding actuation of said manually actuatable movable means.

6. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member actuatable for movement upon each retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder, a spring loaded hammer and a sear engageable by saidtrigger for cooking said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, means for holding said hammer cocked upon such retraction, releasable upon release of said trigger whereby said hammer will be released for free falling and for firing of the revolver only upon release of said trigger and manually actuatable movable means movable to a position obstructing the free falling of said hammer upon said release of said trigger, and means for rendering said cylinder rotating member in-.

operative during retraction of said trigger immediately succeeding actuation of said manually actuatable movable means, said manually actuatable means being carried by said trigger.

7. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating member actuatable for movement upon each refree falling and for firing of the revolver onlyupon release of said trigger and manually actuatable movable means movable to a position obstructing the free falling of said hammer upon' said release of said trigger, and means for renasrzeyzsc doring said cylinder rotating member inoperative during retraction of said trigger immediately succeeding actuation of said manually actuatable movable means, said laStmentiQned-means being actuatable by said manually actuatable means.

8. In a revolver including a retractable trigger, a revolvable cylinder and a cylinder rotating wmember "actuatable 'for'movement upon each "retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder, '2, spring loaded hammer and a searengageable by said trigger for cocking said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, means for holding said hammer cocked upon suchrretraction, releasable upon release of :said trigger whereby said hammer will be released for free falling and for firing of the revolver only upon release of said trigger, and manually actuatable movable means movable to a position obstructing the free falling of said hammer upon said release of said trigger, and means :for rendering said cylinder rotating member inoperative during retraction of said trigger immediately succeeding actuation of said manually actuatable movable means, said last mentioned means being actuatable by said manually 'actuatable means, and said manually actuatable means being positioned for actuation by thetrigger finger of the hand when such finger is in trigger retracting position.

9. In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring'loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means connecting said tiger and hammer for retraction of said hammer against the tension of its spring -upon retraction of said trigger, a holding mechanism including an element connected with said trigger for releasably holding said hammer retracted upon full retraction of said trigger and upon said trigger being held by the trigger finger of the operator in fully retracted position, said element being movable to a position releasing said hammer upon forward movement of said trigger from its fully retracted position, and manually actuatable means movable to a position obstructing the free forward movement of said hammer upon said release of said trigger.

10. In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means connecting said trigger and hammer for retraction of said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, a holding mechanism including an element connected with said trigger for releasably holding said hammer retracted upon full retraction of said trigger and upon said trigger being held by the trigger finger of the operator in fully retracted position, said element being movable to a position releasing said hammer upon forward movement of said trigger from its fully retracted position, and manually actuatable means movable to a position obstructing the free forward movement of said hammer upon said release of said trigger, said holding mechanism further in cluding a member interposed between said element and said hammer and slidably engaging said element for movement into holding engagement with said hammer upon final movement of said triggr to its fully retracted position.

ll. In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means connecting said trigger and hammer for retraction of said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, a holding mechanism including an element connected with said trigger for releasably holding said hammer retracted upon tull retraction of said trigger and upon said trigger being held by the trigger-finger of the -operator'infully retracted position, said element being'm'ovabl'e to a position releasing said hammer upon forward movement ofsaidtrigger from its fully retracted position, and manually actuata ble means movable to a position obstructing the free forward movement of said hammer upon said release of said trigger, a cylinder for cartridges rotatable on said fram'e, a cylinder rotatingmember actuated for movement into engagement with said cylinder for rotating the latter during said retraction of said trigger, said manually 'actuatable means including a part movable to a position rendering said cylinder rotating member inoperative during the next succeeding retraction of said trigger after Jan actuation by said manually actuatab'le means, and means for preventing actuation of said :rnanually. actuatable means un til said trigger is .iully retracted.

12. .In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means including a sear on 'sa'id hammer connecting said trigger and said hammer .for retraction of said hammer against the tension of :its spring upon :retraction of said trigger, a cylinder rotatable on said frame, -a cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for movement into engagement'with said cylinder upon each retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder a predetermined distance, movable means supported-for movement to a position for moving said cylinder rotating member out of engagement with said cylinder upon lowering said hammer from its retracted position without firing said revolver, and means for so lowering said hammer.

13. In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means including a scar on said hammer connecting said trigger and said hammer for retraction of said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trigger, a cylinder rotatable on said frame, a. cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for movement into engagement with said cylinder upon each retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder a predetermined distance, movable means supported for movement to a position for moving said cylinder rotating member out of engagement with said cylinder upon lowering said hammer from its retracted position without firing said revolver, and means for so lowering said hammer, and means automatically actuated by a subsequent full retraction and release of said hammer by said trigger for restoring said movable means to a position permitting engagement between said cylinder rotating member and said cylinder.

14. In a revolver including a frame carrying a spring loaded retractable hammer and a retractable trigger, means including a sear on said hammer connecting said trigger and said hammer for retraction of said hammer against the tension of its spring upon retraction of said trig ger, a cylinder rotatable on said frame, a cylinder rotating member connected with said trigger for movement into engagement with said cylinder upon each retraction of said trigger for rotating said cylinder a predetermined distance, movable means supported for movement to a position for moving said cylinder rotating member out of engagement with said cylinder upon lowering said hammer from its retracted position without firing said revolver, and means for so lowering said hammer, and means carried by said trigger in a position for engagement by the trigger finger of the hand of the operator for actuating said movable means by said finger.

15. In a revolver including a frame supporting a hammer for oscillatory movement between a normal uncocked position and a cooked position and a spring connected with said hammer for constantly urging the same toward said normal position, a finger retractable trigger, means connecting said trigger with said hammer for moving said hammer from said normal position to said cocked position against the tension of said spring upon retraction of said trigger, means actuated by a release of said trigger when the latter is fully retracted for releasing said hammer for movement under the influence of said spring to said normal position independently of said trigger, and manually actuatable means for connecting said hammer with said trigger for controlling the rate of movement of said hammer from said fully cooked position to said normal position in direct proportion to the rate of movement of the retracted trigger to its forward normal position, said manually actuatable means being positioned for actuation by a finger of the hand carrying the trigger finger other than the thumb of such hand.

' 16. In a revolver including a frame supporting a, hammer for oscillatory movement between a normal uncooked position and a cooked position and a spring connected with said hammer for constantly urging the same toward said normal position, a finger retractable trigger, means connecting said trigger with said hammer for moving 16 said hammer irom said normal position to said cocked position against the tension of said spring upon retraction of said trigger, means actuated by a release of said trigger when the latter is fully retracted for releasing said hammer for movement under the influence of said spring to said normal position independently of said trigger, and manually actuatable means for connecting said hammer with said trigger for controlling the rate of movement of said hammer from said fully cooked position to said normal position in direct proportion to the rate of movement of the retracted trigger to its forward normal position, said manually actuatable means being positioned on said trigger for engagement by the trigger finger of the operator when said trigger finger is in trigger retracting position.

JOHN H. GARTNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in thefile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,744 Wesson July 16, 1895 955,436 Reid Apr. 19, 1910 1,342,923 Pinto June 8, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,753 Great Britain July 6, 1909 OTHER REFERENCES French Patent 16,354, vol. 56, page 398, pl. 31, 2nd Series. 

